CLICK HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF FREE BLOGGER TEMPLATES »

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Summer Palace in Beijing

Sorry for the lack of updates, everything has been going well for me on this side of the world.

My life in China at this point has sort of fallen into a routine. During the week, I am at the university, catching the bus in the morning to teach, or meandoring through the nearby neighborhood. It is in this area where my friend Yao owns a small shop. At this shop, many of the guys like to congregate and hang out. We usually go out for lunch together. If not that, we hang out in the front area and "shoot the shit."

However, I tried to change this up a little by making another trip to Beijing this past weekend. I met up with my friend Lu Kai Friday afternoon at some bus station near downtown Beijing.

I should start by introducing Lu Kai, or Lukey (as Lily likes to call him). Lu Kai is an old classmate of Lily's from high school whom I had the pleasure of meeting while Lily was in China back in August. We hit it off real quick when we first met; he bought my a beer, and then we all went downtown to a few clubs, where we shared more beer and laughs. From this point in time, I remembered Lu Kai to be a happy-go-lucky kidster, always laughing and cracking jokes. However, as is true for most people, you are only first introduced to one side of the story, to one component of a complex personality.

As it turned out, Lu Kai came off as one of the most caring, most mature persons I ever met. Every second we spent together in Beijing, he always looked after my well-being. He made sure that I was never tired, that I was never unhappy, and always did what he could to put a smile on my face. In short, Lu Kai really left an impact on me, one that has changed the way I would like to approach friendships in the future. More than that, Lu Kai gave me reason to further believe in a virtuous life. What I mean is, he always showed respect to elders -- Lily's aunt "da yi" -- he always had us going to bed early, and when tempted by "mistresses" of shi sha hai, he never wavered in his position.

Yeah, there's a place in Beijing called "shi sha hai." It's not a bad place; actually, it can be a very romantic spot, with many restaurants located right on the small lake. However, it also offers the "nightlife," where one can grab drinks in the bar, go dancing at the clubs, and even "call girls" for the desperate. With that said, no of this phased Lu Kai.

So, shi sha hai was Saturday night's activity. We didn't stay out too late for one minor inconvenience -- I left my passport back in Tianjin! Yeah, I made the high mistake of leaving the most important document back in another city. To be honest, it did not even cross my mind; I have become so used to living in China now, that it would be the same as me carrying my passport back in Austin.

Well, with a little bit of help from Lily's aunt, we made our hideout, like Anne Frank, in some nearby hotel. Yeah, I felt like some runaway fugitive, sneaking in and out of our hotel room. However, everything turned out to be fine after a few headaches and some thinking.

At this point, I do want to comment on some rather disappointing, yet real discrimination I finally encountered in China. When Lu Kai and I were trying to find a reasonably priced hotel in Beijing, we thought the "hu tong" would suffice. For some who don't know, Beijing has many hu tongs, which are really compacted neighborhoods that have streets big enough for pedestrians and people on bike. So, Lu Kai (I think I'm going to call him "Luke" from now on) and I perused some of the resting places one could find in the hu tong.

However, to our dismay, due to the fact that I am a "wei guo ren" -- a foreigner -- I was not allowed a place to stay. This was an interesting experience, because not only was it the first time I faced discrimination, I actually understood the Chinese coming out of the lady's mouth.

You know, sometimes it takes experience, or at least a few instances of some form of human behavior to, in the least bit, understand the circumstance of other people. I'm not trying to say that I am a completely changed man, that I finally fully understand racism and the plight of many non-whites; my encounter with discrimination was very minor. However, it did get a few cogs running in my head.

Back to Beijing and tourism, I was told by Lu Kai that we would be going to some "park" on Saturday. At this point, I was thinking, "of all places to see in Beijing, why the hell is Lu Kai taking me to some park??" Okay okay, time to practice a little patience and flexibility, I'm sure things will still turn out to be okay. I mean, at least I'm spending time with a nice guy.

As it turned out, some information was lost in translation. We weren't just going to some park. On the contrary, we were going to the Summer Palace! I soon realized this once I met up with Lily's cousin, Hu Miao.

First, here are the pictures I took: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2343351&l=c3f63&id=7936253

I want to start by saying, of all the places I have seen in Beijing, the Summer Palace has, by far, been the most impressive. Located on a lake, the Summer Palace was once the home of China's kings and queens (at least during the Qing Dynasty). I am not sure how far back this historic place goes, but one can really feel like a "king" when taking a stroll along the lake and up the hillside.

On one side of the lake, one can walk in and around some of the finest architecture Beijing can offer to a tourist. The Chinese government has done a great job of restoring and preserving many of the relics the Summer Palace has on display for visitors. Speaking of visitors, although there were many, the number of people at the Summer Palace did not compare to the horde of people Lily and I saw at the Forbidden City.

Although I always encourage people to experience a place for themselves, I should warn you all not to have high hopes for the Forbidden City. Though the place is deeply rooted in history and has a background that overshadows any other historic landmark in Beijing, the place in modern times is just a deathtrap for tourists.

So, as always, the weather played its role in my experience at the Summer Palace. When we first began our adventure within the palace's walls, there was a foggy mist that hovered above the lake. It was very ideal for a moment of reflection and awe for nature's beauty. To me, it sort of reminded me of a romantic moment, when two lovers are taking a stroll along a lake with the weather's energy beckoning the lovers to slow down in time, and to just savor the moment. Well, I did my best with that description; you could also say it was like being "sleepless in Seattle."

Moreover, the weather had a second face. While cool and calm in the morning, the clouds broke and the sun soon shined down upon the lake and palace; it was truly a magestical moment, as if "God" or the kings of old were once again reigning down upon this sacred place...

For us though -- Luke, Hu Miao, and I -- we were just a bunch of frockling youngsters retracing the steps of China's high officials and various people of ancient royal status...

I hope you all enjoy the pictures I've posted! I have plenty more to say about China and I will keep the thoughts coming, one chance at a time.

Love,
Mike

1 评论:

my said...

Lukai said there was an important conference right now in Beijing, so the hotels etc. are extra serious to people, especially foreigners to stay.
Baobei, wo ai ni <3
shoooaaaa much!